Chocolate Brownies with Chilli Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Brownies on Video

Chilli Chocolate Brownies from Food and the Fabulous on Vimeo. Produced by One Dog Chicken and Nawaal Deane

I worked on a video series project, intermittently between travels in 2013 with the energetic duo at One Dog Chicken, making different styles of videos. This one falls into a little more of the ‘food porn’ category, with very tight shots and lots of unctuous visuals of chocolate, and more chocolate. My ultimate chocolate brownies with chilli chocolate ganache….

You can have a look here at the awesome Food and the Fabulous intro video they put together, that we shot around Cape Town and in my home.

We had lots of fun, and have another video or two ready in the back end. The only reason we stopped shooting, is that I ran out of Randelas. Here’s hoping!

I’ve made this chocolate brownie many times. Everyone has a favourite recipe. This is mine. Add more or less crushed chilli for the kick you desire.

so, what happens next?

Ingredients

3 large free range eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1 T coffee granules, mixed in a little water

1 cup (250ml) brown sugar

170 g semi sweet chocolate (70 % cacao), broken up

170 g butter

1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa (I use Cocoa Barry when I can)

1/2 cup (125 ml) + 2 T flour

1 t baking powder

3/4 t fine salt

100g semi sweet chocolate chips

and, chocolate action!

For the Ganache

250 ml whipping cream

250 g semi sweet chocolate (70 % cocoa)

2-3 t chilli flakes, crushed

Method

1. Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla and coffee granules in stand mixer or with a hand held beater for 10 minutes.

2. In meanwhile, melt 170 g chocolate with butter in bowl suspended over a pot of simmering water, stir with spatula until smooth

3. Sieve flour, baking powder, salt and lastly cocoa into a bowl.

4. Remove bowl with beaten eggs and add half flour, half slightly cooled chocolate mixture and stir. Add remaining flour and chocolate and mix through. Fold chocolate chips through.

5. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius in a greased 20 x 20 cm baking tin for 25 minutes until top is crusty and a skewer comes out clean but not entirely dry.

6. Prepare ganache by heating cream to boiling point in a saucepan. Remove from heat and add chocolate and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until smooth. Add chilli flakes and taste. Allow to cool, it will thicken on cooling. You can also whip the ganache, allow to chill in fridge before doing this. I sprinkle with a little extra ground Mexican ancho chillli.

behind the scenes, egg cracking

smothered chocolate brownies